The Thing About Cats
by KiraTheFabulous
Summary: Second story following my OC Kira as she travels the long road of adolescence. Join her as she learns life's hard lessons and faces her in inner demons. In this episode, Gray and Kira go on a mission with a reward that doesn't measure up. Kira gets into a pickle, and Gray has to save her useless hide! Oh, the memories they make! Eventual Gray/OC R&R plz no flames


Here's number 2! I hope you enjoyed the First one (Elemental Witch); I had planned to make it a little longer but I kept hitting writers block and decided that my writers block was a sign that it was meant to end the way it did. So sorry if that irritated anyone lol

As for why Erza called her 'little sister', Erza see's her as her little sister, but the two aren't actually related by blood.

So, with out further adieu, here's the second episode; The Trouble With Cats

* * *

Shine The Light- Sugarland

"...When your staring down your demons

waiting in your darkest night

I will shine the light..."

* * *

Kira groaned groggily as the rays from the rising sun caressed her face. She rolled away from the annoying light, throwing her arm around her pillow and snuggling deeper into her covers with a contented sigh. She had to admit that while she didn't enjoy being woken up by the sun nothing beat the calming heat that radiated onto her back and shoulders; it was so peaceful. So tranquil-

"Hey! What are you doing in my bed?!" She groaned, lifting her head off the pillow and glancing sleepily over her shoulder at her very easily annoyed partner. He was sitting up on his knees clad in only his sleeping pants with a glare that promised death gracing his normally scowling face. She huffed, rolling back over and bringing the blanket higher up onto her head. "DON'T JUST ROLL OVER! GET OUT!"

"Graaaaaay~ why do you have to shout first thing in the morning, huh?" Gray's brow twitched at Kira's groggy reply. He reached over and tugged the blanket off her only to scramble backwards with a yelp as he realized she was dressed in her underwear and bandages.

"WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!" She groaned, rolling off the side of the bed and taking the pillow she had stolen with her, landing with a loud 'thump' on the floor.

"How is this any different from what I always wear?" She asked through the pillow, her words muffled slightly from it's down interior. He moved to the side of the bed with every intention of tearing her a new one about privacy only to be met with a pillow to the face as she tried to discard the fluffy sleep trap. She stood up with a yawn ignoring the furious glare Gray was sending her way and began to dress, locating and pulling her shorts on before grabbing her jacket. "Well sense I was so rudely awakened and forced out of my own bed-"

"THIS IS MY BED-"

"We might as well get a jump start on the day! Look!" Kira pulled what looked to be a job posting (from the Fairy Tail job board) out of her jackets right pocket and shoved it into Grays face, rubbing it against his cheek to further fuel his irritation. "Feel the Majesty that is the mission! Do you smell it? The smell of victory? Of rewards?! OF THE NEXT YEARS RENT?!" Gray sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"All I smell is paper... and ink." Kira tutted him like a mother to their misbehaving child and pulled the posting far enough away from Gray's face so that he could read what was printed rather sloppily on it's surface.

"Wan'ted, help needed locating a Mr.- Mr. Whiskers? What the heck kind of name is that?!"

"Keep reading!" Gray sighed in exasperation, snatching the paper away from her to get a better look at it; she was practically dancing with excitement. Unbeknownst to him, no sooner had he taken the paper then did Kira start bouncing around the room, opening his dresser drawers and his closet door and pulling out his cloths for he day while also packing an extra set (just in case).

"It's a cat? You took a job that requires you to find a cat?" Gray looked up only to see Kira rummaging through the top drawer of his dresser, tossing a clean pair of black boxers onto the bed followed by black socks. "...I can pack my own bag you know..."

"Not just any cat! Some poor, rich old biddy lost the only thing left in this world that she cherishes!" Kira wiped away a fake tear, completely ignoring Gray's previous statement as she gingerly placed his shoes on the floor next to the bed. "You haven't even read the best part yet! Look a the reward!" Gray sighed, glancing at the bottom of the page where written in tiny hand writing was-

"**200,000** JEWL?! FOR A STINKING CAT?!" Kira snatched the posting from him and folded it neatly into her back pack which was now sitting atop the bed.

"That's right! Not such a silly mission now, is it?" Gray grumbled and grabbed his cloths before making his way to the bathroom irritably. It was bad enough that she sneaks into his room at night to use his bed (though he couldn't really blame her for liking his more; the first time he sat on hers he thought it was going to crack in half), but she had also banned him from changing sleep cloths in front of her, and rather then leaving the room, she forced him to start changing _his_ cloths in _his_ bathroom inside _his_ living quarters. "So hurry up! We have to be in Tengu in an hour!"

Moments later they where walking out the door (which Gray was sure to lock; even after two months of living in the Fairy Tail men's dorm he didn't trust anyone enough to keep his empty room unlocked), passing by many other guild members on their way. As they passed Quarters 345, the door swung open revealing the curious and slightly annoyed face of Laxus, a strong teenage wizard with blonde hair,blue eyes and a weird scar that ran from his right brow to with in an inch of his jaw line. His normal headphones where attached to his ears.

"What the hell is all the commotion about so early in the morning?!" He demanded making Kira stick her tongue out at him. "Don't make me zap that out of your mouth," Kira yelped, sucking her tongue back into her mouth so quickly she nearly choked on it. "What are _you_ doing here _pest_? Girl's aren't allowed in the boy's dorm."

"Well you see sparky-"

"-Don't call me that!-"

"-Gray here misses me soooooo much during the night that he kidnaps me and forces me to stay in his room." Gray smacked the back of her head earning a yelp of surprise from her and a quirked brow from Laxus.

"Don't make _me_ sound like the creeper in this situation; _you_ snuck into _my_ room!" Kira shrugged, flipping her hair over her shoulder haughtily before turning on her heal.

"Minor detail; now come on! We don't have time to deal with Sparky's attitude today!" Laxus fums at the mention of her ridiculous nick name for him and slams his door shut. Gray rolls his eyes and follows Kira into the stair well.

"Why do you always have to get under his skin?" Gray grumbled out as they exited the boys dorm and made their way towards the Guild's front gate.

"Whos?"

"Duh, Laxus; he's telling the truth you know. It's not only annoying but also against the rules for you to keep sneaking into my dorm at night just because you like my bed better then yours," Gray said with a deadpan face. "Not to mention a little creepy..."

"It isn't Laxus or anyone else's business where I sleep!" Kira said, hitting her right fist into her palm and imagining it being Laxus' face. "I mean come on! Does it mean _nothing_ to anyone that at least I'm sleeping and not trying to burn the place down?!"

Gray rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. "Well, yeah... I guess I never thought of it like that..."_...I would much rather her be sleeping then rifling through my closet or playing pranks on the others that live in the dorms..._ He shuddered at the thought of the last time Kira had been left alone in his dorm room with nothing to keep her entertained; it took him nearly ten hours to get the room picked up and put back the way he liked it.

"And it's not like I care what Laxus has to say! He thinks he's so cool with his lightning magic and headphones-" Gray decided that now was a good time to zone out as Kira started babbling on and on about all the stupid things she hated about Laxus. His shirt, his hair, his skin, his cocky smile- the way he _smells_- all part of the extensive list of things Kira came up with to explain her extreme distaste of the lightning wizard. He's probably heard the list at least a dozen times sense joining the Fairy Tail Guild two months ago.

"So what's the name of our client?" Gray asked, cutting Kira short on all the ways she wished she could destroy Laxus' headphones.

"Hmmm..." Kira pulled their pack from her back and rummaged through it for a few seconds before pulling out the neatly folded job request. "Granny Jamma- in Tengu Village. It should take us about an hour once we get out of Magnoria." Gray took the request out of her hands and read it over once more, a small frown falling onto his face. "What's with that sour face?" Kira asked while tugging his right hand away from the buttons on his shirt.

"I still don't like how simple this task is in comparison to the reward; it's not like she couldn't just get another cat." Kira placed her finger against her chin in thought, trying her hardest to think of a good enough answer to put his worries on the mission to rest.

"Well, you've had a friend before right? Before coming here that is; I know I'm the _best friend _ you've ever had!" She snickered as his right brow twitched.

"What's your point?!" He asked irritably.

"My _point_ is, if that person ever went missing wouldn't you go to any length to find them again?" Gray thrust the paper into her face, pointing at the name.

"But its a _cat_! Not a human!" Kira scowled, pulling the paper from his hands and folding it neatly before placing it back into their pack.

"Did you ever stop to think that that stupid cat is the only living thing that she can trust? Maybe for you, a cat wouldn't fall into the category for best friend, but for this woman this cat must be her entire world if she is willing to shell out such a hefty sum for his return." Gray quirked a brow at her irritated tone; it took quite a bit to get Kira to show her true annoyance. Something about this mission is bugging her, but maybe unlike him it isn't the mission its self.

* * *

"-So you see dearies, you _have_ to find Mr. Whiskers! He's all I have left!" Kira gave Gray an 'I-Told-You-So' look that made him scoff. Their cliant, Granny Jamma was stout and fat with rosy cheeks and squinted eyes. Her long white hair was piled high on her head in a messy bun. She was crying hysterically, her hands clutching at Kira and Grays with enough force to make the two pre-teens flinch.

"Don't worry Granny Jamma; we'll find Mr. Whiskers for you!" Kria said cheerfully as she pried her hand away from the old woman. Gray sighed in relief as Kira grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him away from Granny Jamma. "We'll be back by morning at the latest! Come on Gray- stop trying to take off your shirt! We're with a client!"

Gray grumbled, re-buttoning the top two buttons of his shirt as Kira lead him towards the outskirts of the town. He took this time to look around, a small frown coming to his face. All the houses, including that of their client, looked to be practically condemned. Not that it mattered to him; he could understand the issues of living in such a small town. The few people who where out side where dressed in rags, and seemed to have a permanent layer of dirt on their skin. Young children ran by with tiny bare feet, their arms and legs looking far to skinny for their age. The entire town seemed to be in poverty with barely enough money to handle feeding themselves. So then how was this little old woman supposed to pay them 200,000 Jewl?

It wasn't until a few moments later that Gray noticed they where walking out of the town. "Hey, why are we leaving? Don't we still have to find that mangy cat?"

Kira readjusted the back pack she carried. "Granny said that she last saw the cat going into the forest; weren't you listening?" Gray blushed at her exasperated tone; he hadn't listened to much that the old woman had spouted. There where far to many tears and wails coming from her to even understand what she was saying. Kira sighed. "Well, that's why we are going into the woods. Since this was where she last saw him, then chances are he hasn't wondered off to far.

* * *

Eight. Hours. Later.

"What was that you said about him not getting far?" Gray asked irritably. Kira's feet dragged with every step she took; they had been walking through these woods for half a day and have yet to see hide or tail of that stupid cat.

"How could a little animal travel so far in less then a day?!" Kira exclaimed.

"How the heck should I know?!" Gray was so frustrated; his whole day has been wasted on looking for some stupid cat in a stupid forest with his stupid partner who thought that it was a good idea to take a mission with a reward that was most likely a typo! And to make matters worse, he was _starving_...

"Well lets take a quick break; I could really use a snack right about now..." Kira said as she allowed herself to sink to the forest floor, the back pack sliding off her shoulders. Gray sighed, but took a seat a few feet away from her, leaning back onto his hands as he watched her rummage around in her back pack. "Hmmm... Let's see here..." She started pulling out a few fruits and a baggy with sandwich halves in it. Gray's eyes widened in curiosity as she started pulling out a large container of water; how the hell was she fitting all of that in her small back pack?! "Here we go! God, this is going to be so good!"

This wasn't the first time he had noticed Kira packing a ridiculous about of stuff into her small pack. It didn't matter where they went, or how long they where gone, she always had _everything _they needed to get by be it food, cloths, bandages even blankets. But she only ever carried that one little pack. He had examined it on more then one occasion while she was sleeping or taking a bath; but when he looked inside all he ever saw was a spare shirt for him (as he constantly loses them at random times) and a few granola bars. But here she was pulling out nearly a three course meal. She handed him two individually wrapped sandwich halves both ham and cheese with lettuce, no tomato- just how he liked it. They even had his name written in black marker across the plastic wrap! Next she placed an apple and a banana on a napkin beside his leg. His two favorite fruits.

"I even brought chocolate cake for desert!" She pulled out what looked to be an entire cake pan that was wrapped securely in a dish towel.

"...How the hell do you get all this to fit into that tiny sack?" Gray asked with a deadpanned expression. Kira glanced down at her sack, her eyes wide with contemplation. She had to think about it? Moments later she looked up at Gray and nodded her head.

"Yes." Gray felt the vein in his temple throb.

"What the hell kind of answer is that?!" Kira snickered and shoved one of the wrapped sandwich halves into her mouth.

"The only one your gonna get!" She said around her food making Gray sigh in exasperation before he too began to eat his lunch; he honestly didn't want to fight with her right now. He was to hungry to care right now. Kira glanced up at the sky through the tree tops; where those rain clouds? And it looked like the sun was starting to set too. This sucks. "We should start thinking about setting up camp soon; I don't want to wonder around here in the dark. Lord only knows what comes out at night in these woods."

"What, scared of a few owls?" Gray said snidely making Kira bristle in annoyance.

"NO! Though I'm starting to think you might make a good dinner for one!"

"That was a lame come back..."

Kira puffed up her cheeks, her face turning read in her irritation. "Oh yeah, well it wasn't as lame as your face-?" Kira stopped mid sentence, her head turning sharply to the side and her eyes widening as something small and black darted through the undergrowth. Gray quirked a brow at her in confusion though it was quickly replaced by surprise as she leaped to her feet and made a mad dash into the undergrowth, leaving him with her half eaten lunch and wide eyes.

"... Kira?"

* * *

Kira darted through the trees and small foliage, her eyes darting as they tried to keep up with the fast moving shadow; for a kitten, Mr. Whiskers sure could move quick. "Grrrr; come here you mangy thing!" She growled under her breath, adding an extra push of speed as she flung herself head first into a bush, snagging hold of the furry critter before it could dash away. She yelped as she somersaulted out of the other side of the bush, landing on her back with the frightened kitten clutched securely in both her hands. "YES! I WIN!" She sat up, holding the kitten out at arms length from her. "You slippery thing! You nearly got away from me!" The kitten mewed pathetically at her making her chuckle. "Now, to go find Gray and get the heck out of here-!"

Before she could react, the ground around her exploded and she was hoisted into the air by a large net. She screamed as she bounced around in mid air, the motion making her feel a little ill. The kitten, who was still clutched tightly in her hands, mewed its displeasure and sunk its claws into her hands in panic. As the nets movements started to slow down to a mere swing and Kira was able to regain her baring she let out a relieved sigh. "Dear god all mighty, I thought something was trying to eat us..." She said to the kitten who mewed in agreement.

"Well look what we have here boys! A little lost bunny!" Kira blanched, bending her head back to view the owner of the unfamiliar, and extremely rough voice. There where four men and a single female standing behind her, most of whom looked rather excited with their eyes transfixed on her as if they had just one the jack pot. The woman, tall and slender with choppy black hair and uncaring brown eyes, and the youngest of the men, who had dark green hair and brown eyes, looked rather bored with life in general, and where standing a little ways behind the other three men. Two of the men looked nearly identical aside from one looking noticeably older then the other. Brothers maybe? Both had sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. The last man, tall and skinny with messy brown hair and beady blue eyes was smirking cockily up at Kira, making her surprise slip into mild irritation.

"Hold on Mr. Whiskers..." She mumbled, extending her right hand at the net. A black magic circle erupted from her fingers only to sizzle and die out as it made contact with the net. Kira felt her eyes widen in shock; a Magic canceling net?! The slim brown haired man snickered triumphantly.

"And she does magic; boy's, we've hit the jack pot!" She turned to the woman who was busy examining her nails in a rather bored way. "Nice thinking on the Anti-Magic net Reba; looks like it came in handy after all!" The woman, Reba shrugged her shoulders and replied with rather sullen tone.

"So what do you plan to do with her now that you have her? If you take her out of the net she will surly get away, but she can't stay up in that tree-"

"HELLO! I'm right here you know! How's about you let me down and we can part ways all civil like!" Kira said as she pulled in vein at the ropes of the net; damn, they where way to thick for her to break on her own and she left her bag back with Gray... Why did it feel like this net was getting smaller and smaller? Kira felt the panic swell in her chest before she could stamp it out, causing her to thrash a little harder. "LET ME OUT!"

"Heh, seems she's discovering that nets other useful gift; not only is it enchanted to cancel out any magic of whom ever gets caught in it, but it's also made to constrict around the pray to keep it from moving around and possibly injuring its self. A very useful tip when dealing with brash Wizards such as yourself," the slim man said. Kira was hardly paying him any mind as the ropes around her had become so tight she was finding it difficult to breath. Strips of her skin that where touching the ropes where starting to rub raw from all her moving. "It should be safe to cut her down now; just be sure to cut above the knot. The net will hold her arms and legs still so she cant fight back."

"What ever..." The young man with the dark green hair walked rather stiffly towards her, pulling out a rather lethal looking knife from inside his coat. Kira felt her heart rate pick up once again, her eyes widening with each step the green hared man took towards her. He raised the knife up above her head. Kira shut her eyes, unsure of what to expect from the strangely silent man. She head the sound of rope being severed and felt the sensation of falling for a mere half a heart beat before she was caught in a pair of strong arms and cradled rather gently against a warm chest. She peeked her eyes open to see that it was the same green haired man who had caught her, though he seemed to be regarding her curiously while his back was turned to his companions.

This didn't make her feel any better though. Kira felt more trapped now then she had hanging from the tree. It didn't matter how gently he held her, how soft his brown eyes had become, seeming to well with mild pity before going blank as he turned towards the presumed leader. Him, along with everyone else in attendance where trouble. Her brain kept screaming 'danger danger' at her like some kind of siren, but despite going over the situation in her head, she couldn't find anyway for her to escape from this one. She couldn't use magic, and she didn't have her bag and consequently her knife.

A pathetic mew from her hands made her look down just in time to see the kitten squirm it's way from her hold, bounding through a gap in the net and bounding into the foliage. "TRAITOR! DON'T JUST LEAVE ME WITH THESE PEOPLE!" The slim man started laughing along with the two brothers.

"Should we go after the cat Boris?" Reba asked dejectedly. Slim waved off her words with a smug smile.

"Good riddance; what's that thing going to do? Lead someone to find her? Heh, don't make me laugh Reba." Reba's brow furrowed, the first emotion of then boredom that Kira had yet to see cross her face.

"It was just a suggestion; you never know what a cat that's owned by a Wizard is capable of." Boris shrugged his shoulders before turning and beckoning the group to follow him into the foliage.

"We'll be long gone far sooner then anyone could ever track her to this forest; let's head back to camp. We'll sleep for a couple hours and then take off. If we're lucky we can reach Onibus and get to the auction in time to register her. She should fetch a pretty penny." The two sandy hared men followed Boris like a couple of puppies. Reba scoffed and left shortly after them leaving Kira and her green hared guard to take up the rear. Kira felt her stomach bottom out; auction? THEY WHERE GOING TO SELL HER?! She gulped; she could only hope that Gray would find her. He was looking, right?

* * *

Meanwhile some mile and a half to the south...

Gray growled as his left foot sank sloppily into the wet swamp like terrain he had stumbled across. "Damn Kira... damn cat... when I find her I'm gonna make her cry for putting me through this... I swear it!" He tossed Kira's pack onto the dry bank that he had been trying to reach.

"Mew!" Gray stopped mid tug on his leg, glancing with wide eyes over his shoulder at the little black kitten that sat cutely at the very edge of the wet zone, his large green eyes staring longing at Gray. "...mew..."

"THE CAT! Kira can't be to far behind him then..." He turned and tugged his leg out of the swampy ground using his upper body strength and an available tree stump to haul himself out of the wet earth. He sighed in relief as he set foot on solid ground once again. The prodding of soft pawn against his ankle brough his attention to his now muddy feet. He grumbled pushing the persistent kitten away with his toe. "Cut it out..."

"Mew! Mew!" The kitten zig-zaged between Gray's legs, pushing against the back of his calves.

"Come on you mangy cat- where the hell is Kira?!" He seethed out. The Kitten gave his leg one last brush before trotting towards to the undergrowth. It stopped and sat down, staring at Gray expectantly.

"Mew!" Gray raised a brow at the kitten; was this normal cat behavior? The kitten looked over it's shoulder into the undergrowth before prancing into it. Gray nearly panicked, thinking that the kitten which he had tried so hard to find (along with his partner) was trying to get away, but stopped short of running when the kitten reappeared from the same bush at a trot, prancing over to him and rubbing against his calf once again before running back into the bush. "Mew!"

He quirked a brow in uncertainty; should he follow him? "... why the hell not. Not like I have anything to lose..." Gray reached down and hoisted the pack onto his bare shoulder and took off after the kitten at a jog. He could only hope that he met up with Kira at some point during all of this. Not that he was worried; Kira could take care of herself. Right?...yeah...

* * *

So there you go :) number 2! This one will have a second chapter to it- didn't want to over ride any ones brain with having to read to much at a time. This one might end up being 3 chapters long, it all depends on how I feel about it as I continue with the 2nd part :D

So I hope you liked it!


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